Metallic box-strap.



O. SOLOMON, JR.

METALLIC BOX STRAP.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 1a. 1911.

L 1 119* Patented July 13, 1915.

C J? E I O O\.) t/ O O o/toco 0 w 0 O 0 O D I j c I IL I 41 l L/fJ JWITNESSES l/VVENfOR CZQ/WQ SoZomonJr.

i pm i r- I CHAPMAN SOLOMON, JR 013 SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNORTO CARY MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A,CORPORATION OF NEWYORK.

ll,lld5,932.

Application filed January 18, 1911.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHAPMAN SoLoMoN, Jr., a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing in the city of San Francisco, county of San Francisco,and State of California, have invented a certain new and useful MetallicBox-Strap, of which vthe following is a specification.

This invention is a metallic box strap, the

same being intended for use in fastening or securing covers to woodenboxes, packing cases, and the like, and, more particularly, fruitpacking cases.

Heretofore it has been customary for shippers to pack fruit, suchas'oranges, in cases or boxes in such manner that the top layers of thefruit will extend above the side walls of the box or case. This requiresthe lid or top of the case to be pressed downwardly, thereby compressingthe fruit, after which the lid or top is secured to the case by nailingan end of a strip of thin sheet metal known as box strapping, to oneside of the case,

- then the strapwis drawn over the top, and

finally it is secured to the other side of the case. The strap is nowcut off, by'shears, or other implements, the line of the out beingadjacent the last nail, or fastening device,

through the strap. This operation of cutting the metallic strap issometimes quite difiicult to perform, for thereason that it is attachedto the box or case, and it requires the time and labor of the packer.

To expedite the packingof fruit, and to save time and labor in securingthe tops to cases, I have devised a novel construction of box strap,which is adapted to be easily and quickly broken or severed after itshall have been nailed to the packing case. The strap is, preferably, along metallic strip wound within a reel or frame, said strap is weakenedtransversely at regular intervals, the metal intermediate the weakenedpoints being of sufficient length to properly extend over the top and tofasten said top to the case. Furthermore, the strap is provided atintervals with nail holes, and some of these holes are adjacent theweakened parts of the strap, whereby the strap may be nailed to the boxand the strap may be easily broken or severed, without the use of anytools whatever, by merely bending or doubling the strap at the weakenedpoints and near the securing nails.

In the accompanying drawings, I have Specification of Letters Patent.

METALLIC BOX-STRAP.

Serial No. 603,238.

illustrated one practical embodiment of the invention, but theconstruction shown there- Patented July is, 19 15.

in is to be understood as illustrative, only,

and not as defining the limits of the invention.

Figure is a perspective view of an ordinary packing case showing themanner of applying the metallic strap thereto. Fig. 2

1s a perspective view of the strap coiled for convenience in handlingit, the strap being drawn out for a part of its length to show aweakened portion thereof between the nail holes. Fig. 3 is a perspectiveviewof part of a metallic strap showing a number of weakened portionsintermediate the ends theneof.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings, the metallicstrap,'A, is composed of sheet metal or flattened wire, reeled or woundupon itself to produce a coil, B, see F ig. 2 of the drawings, saidstrap being coiled for convenience in handling, packing and shipping it.The strap is provided with a number of weakened places, C.

at regular intervals throughout the length of the metallic strip,whereby the said strip may be easily and quickly broken into box straps,A, of predetermined length. These points Lof weakness or breakage areformed, preferably, by notching or cutting away a portion of the metalto produce triangular or V-shaped notches at regular intervals"throughout the strip, said V-shaped notches being producedin therespective edges of the strip, the apices of the V notches beingopposite to each other, whereby the strip may be readily broken apart/atthe Weakened points. The strip may be, and preferably is, provided witha number of holes or weakened places similar to nail holes, d, throughwhich are adapted to be driven the fastening nails, for securing thestrap to the respective sides, or to the sides and the top, of the box.

In Fig. 1 there is illustrated an ordinary packing box, E, the cover, 6,of which is securedto'the body by nailing the cover to the box and bytwo lengths of strapping, A,

applied to the respective end portions of the box and the cover. Toapply a strap, A,to

the box, the operator proceeds as follows After filling the box andapplying the cover in the usual way, the operator draws a part of thestrap from coil, B, and positions one end ooposite tothe end wall of thebox, at

one side thereof. He now drives one or more nails, as (13', throughholes, d, in the strap; then, he draws the strap over the cover, andpositions the other end of the strap. on the other side wall of the box.While pressing down upon the top or cover, and holding the strap tautwith the foot or a lever, the operator drives one or more nails throughthe other or unattached end of the strap and into the other side of thebox. The strap having been nailed in position, it is not necessary forthe operator to waste time in grasping a shears or other tool forcutting the strap, for the reason that the attached strap may be brokenfrom the coil by simply bending the strap backward and forward one ormore times at the lire of weakness offered by the notches, C, the pointof break taking place quite close to the nail driven through the strapadjacent to the notches thereof.

By reference to Fig. 1, it will be seen that the strap is appliedcomplete to the left hand end of the box, but the strap at the righthand end of the box is nailed in position but not broken loose from thestrapping of the coil. It is evident that the latter strap may be easilyand quickly broken at the notches, C, and adjacentnail, d, by simplybending the strap back and forth, the nail, d, affording a fixed pointof resistance whereby the required bending of the strap may be performedexpeditiously and without resorting to the use of any tools whatsoever.

Experience shows that when a coiled strap is nailed to the box,considerable difiiculty is met with in cutting the attached part of thestrap from the remainder of the length of coiled strapping, this beingparticularly true in nailing fruit boxes when the fruit is packed in theordinary way so as to require the packer to exert pressure upon the topor cover when applying the strapping. It is manifest that the operatormust lay aside the nail driving tool, pick up a shears or the like, andmanipulate the shears to cut off the strap quite close to the box,pressure being applied meanwhile to the cover. These operations consumetime and labor, and frequently the strapping is cut so as to result in arough jagged end which is likely to cut the hands when handling the boxor case. These objections are overcome entirely in my invention. Thestrap is applied in the usual way, and after nailing it in position, the

operator breaks it from the coil by simply bending it, the strap beingcomposed of comparatively thin metal which will break, by a bendingoperation, at the notches particularly when the said notches are closeto a fixed nail. Furthermore, the end of the strap is clean and even,and it lies close to the wall of the box, so that it will not cut thehands when the box is handled. It is evident that the strap can beweakened in other ways than by notching it, and, accordingly, it is notdesired to strictly confine the invention to notches in the respectiveedges of the strap.

My new article is simple in construction, economical to manufacture, andmay be applied with great ease and despatch to ordinary boxes or packingcases.

Having thus fully described the invention,what I claim as new,and desireto secure by Letters Patent is 1. As a new article of manufacture, boxstrapping comprising a comparatively narrow band of sheet metal providedwith nail holes at intervals in its length and provided, also, withmeans for producing lines of weakness transversely of the strap, saidnail holes being adjacent to and at opposite sides of each transverseline of weakness.

2. As a new article of manufacture, box strapping comprising a narrowband of sheet metal the respective edges of which are provided withnotches, the notches in one edge being coincident with the notches inthe other edge to produce lines of weakness transversely of the strap,and provided, also, with a series of holes positioned in the metal ofthe strap intermediate of the notches therein and at/opposite sides ofthe line of weakness formed by the coincident notches.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHAPMAN SOLOMON, Jn.

Witnesses:

WM. G. An'ronovrcn, LESLIE V. HORN.

